Identification of the Bacillus anthracis (gamma) phage receptor.

ABSTRACT: Bacillus anthracis, a gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium, is the etiological agent of anthrax. It belongs to the Bacillus cereus group, which also contains Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis. Most B. anthracis strains are sensitive to phage gamma, but most B. cereus and B. thuringiensis strains are resistant to the lytic action of phage gamma. Here, we report the identification of a protein involved in the bacterial receptor for the gamma phage, which we term GamR (Gamma phage receptor). It is an LPXTG protein (BA3367, BAS3121) and is anchored by the sortase A. A B. anthracis sortase A mutant is not as sensitive as the parental strain nor as the sortase B and sortase C mutants, whereas the GamR mutant is resistant to the lytic action of the phage. Electron microscopy reveals th

SUBMITTER: Davison S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1251577 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature